Background: Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) face multiple challenges, including language barriers, cultural adaptation, exploitation risks, and social isolation that can impact their mental health. These experiences shape their attitudes toward help-seeking and self-stigma regarding mental health services. Understanding these factors across different cultural contexts is crucial for developing culturally sensitive interventions.
Aim and Hypothesis: This study investigated the relationships between self-stigma of seeking help (SS), attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (AT), and perceived devaluation and discrimination (PDD) among MDWs across four Asian countries. We hypothesized that AT would negatively predict PDD, while SS would positively predict PDD, and that these relationships would differ significantly across cultural contexts.
Methods: A total of 277 MDWs (89.2% male, 10.8% female; mean age 36.6 years) from Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Vietnam completed measures including the ATSPPH-SF, SSOSH, and RPDD scales. Data were analyzed using correlational analysis, multiple regression, ANOVA with post hoc Tukey tests, and Random Forest Regression machine learning models. Harman's one-factor test confirmed no significant common method bias (31.7%).
Results: Multiple regression revealed that AT negatively predicted PDD (β = -0.074, p = 0.028), while SS demonstrated a strong positive effect (β = 0.845, p < 0.001). The Random Forest model confirmed robust predictability (Training R² = 0.87; Test R² = 0.84). ANOVA results showed significant cross-cultural differences in AT (ω² = 0.051), SS (ω² = 0.463), and PDD (ω² = 0.406), with the largest differences observed between Indonesia-Malaysia and Indonesia-Vietnam pairs.
Conclusion: Self-stigma emerged as the strongest predictor of perceived discrimination among MDWs, substantially outweighing attitudes toward help-seeking. Significant cross-cultural variations highlight the necessity for culturally tailored interventions. Findings emphasize the importance of reducing self-stigma and promoting mental health service utilization through culturally sensitive approaches that acknowledge country-specific contextual factors affecting MDWs' mental health help-seeking behaviors.